The final standoff between St George’s Tron and the Church of Scotland has been several years coming, says Simon Barrow. The way it is handled will also be a signal of how the Kirk sees its future, and how the debate on same-sex relations may resonate in more reluctant corners of the church when it returns to the General Assembly next year.

Faith groups in Northern Ireland and America have been seeking to learn from one another about making peace in the human and the physical environment together. Earlier this month a US interfaith group visited the province.

A church-backed group of farmworkers and supporters have joined a 30 November 2007 nine-mile march through Miami to the headquarters of Burger King to demand higher wages and better conditions in Florida's tomato fields.

The leaders of Northern Ireland's four major churches have called for an end to sectarianism and prejudice in a joint New Year message. The move represents an increasing willingness among Protestant and Catholic leaders to speak together in the face of division.